It All Started with One Little Dog

I grew up with animals all my life. Whether we had cats, dogs, or a combination of the two. Not to mention the goldfish and bunnies that would end up in my care. But as I grew older, my love for dogs outgrew that for cats. But not just any dog, we’re talking about the most controversial “breed” in the World, the “Pit Bull”.

“Breed”

I say “breed” simply because pit bull alone is not a breed. The American Pit Bull Terrier is a purebred dog recognized by the American Dog Breeders Association and United Kennel Club.

In all honesty, the majority of dogs that are classified as pit bulls are in fact, not pit bulls at all. They are a mix of American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bull Dog, American Bully, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

My First Bully

My obsession begins in 2010 when I rescued a 1 1/2-year-old “pit bull”. He, Titan, is an American Bulldog/American Staffordshire Terrier mix. Titan already had two homes and two names by the time I met him. This sweet little face that scared the hell out of me from behind the kennel fence played me for the soft-hearted, loving person I am.

He reeled me in and I’ve been in love ever since.

With the rescue of Titan, I began documented our journey. The story of a first time bully mom who was clueless about what she got into. Titan suffered from separation anxiety and various behavioral issues. Although we were able to overcome the separation anxiety, some things were incurable.

Incurable meaning, he still has issues, however, they are not quite as extreme as they were.

After having two behaviorists tell me I should rehome him, I decided that the world was against bullies and I would have to tackle this on my own. I signed him up for a training class, 2 private and 1 group.

After seeing the trainer wasn’t happy with my choice in dogs and not allowing him to participate in the group training simply because he has a big head and chest, I decided to train myself.

As of today, he knows all his commands and is excited to showcase them for me. The only one we never really got was Recall. But whatever. I think he enjoyed watching me chase after me instead of just bringing it. It’s for my own health! Exercise!

Years of dealing with his insecurities have created such a strong bond with us. Titan is truly my soul dog. He has been a blessing in my life every day since the day I first met him.

My Second Bully

After 5 years I got a harebrained idea to get Titan a sister. I always wondered how he would do with another dog. I knew with people, he had issues, but what about a dog? He handled himself quite well at the vet’s office with dogs coming and going. He would see one and his ears would perk up!

I was on the hunt!

I knew I wanted a girl dog to complete my family. A little princess to call my own and a sister for Big T. She had to be similar to Titan in demeanor, body size, and age.

When I stumbled up the picture of a beautiful little 7+-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier/Boxer mix, I knew hoped this could be her. I scheduled time to go to the shelter and meet this little doll.

Little did I know the extent of her medical issues. Apparently, she spent most of her life as a “breeder” dog. She lived with many other dogs, male dogs I assume because she adopted some of the male dog habits.

Strange habits

Have you ever seen a girl dog lift her entire back-end and one leg higher to pee? Yeah, that kind of freaked me out too.

She also had a staph-resistant Pseudomonas in her ears. From the very beginning, I knew there would be a lot of vet visits for this poor girl, but that didn’t deter us.

After meeting with her, Zue, at the shelter a few times, I arranged to have her brought to my home to meet Titan. Titan is very protective of his home. I knew if I took Titan to her, he would act differently.

Might I add here:

When adopting a dog, try your hardest to arrange for a home visit. You never know how your dog might act with another animal on his turf.

The meet went very well and Zue became part of our family.

Not everything is happy go puppy dog tails

Unfortunately, we lost Zue in August 2018. She was ridden with cancer and I just couldn’t put her through any more surgeries. Bless her heart, she had the best 3 years of her life with us. We miss her terribly til this day but understand that this gave us another opportunity to rescue yet another misfortunate baby in Zue’s memory.

My Third Bully

It had been about 6 months and I decided we must have another baby. It’s not for the fact that Titan and I didn’t enjoy each other, it’s that I can’t give Titan everything he needs in life. Another sister would do wonders for him. And the fact that he’s over 10 years old and has cancer made his happiness that much more eminent to me.

I started seeking out another princess for our home. Thankfully, I had become friends with the owner of a rescue called Doggone Happy Animal Rescue right here in my own town of Harrington, DE. When I mentioned to her I was thinking of adopting in the near future, she gave me one name.

Duchess

I had to find her pictures and seek out this girl who Dawn knew would be so perfect for me, Titan, and our lifestyle. She was adorable!

After digging more into her story of how she was a stray found walking the streets late at night with a prong collar embedded in her neck. How she allowed her rescuers and the vet to do whatever they needed to do to her to help with her neck. To see how much of a survivor this little princess girl is. I had to have her.

She is a 4ish American Pit Bull Terrier. The youngness of her age worried me a bit. Plus she is so tiny compared to Titan. To be blunt, Titan can be a real asshole. He is a bully and he likes to antagonize. I had to make sure Duchess would be able to stand up to him and not cower.

I met her one night at a Tractor Supply and just fell in love. However, I noticed more than just a scar on her neck. This poor baby had teeth missing and some filed down.

Yes, Bait Dog.

After debating for about a week, I arranged to have her brought to my home knowing Titan would love her and she would be staying with us forever. The two of them hit it off greatly!